HMD Global, the Finnish company that owns the rights to use Nokia's brand on mobile phones, announced on Sunday the Nokia 6, its first smartphone, targeted for Chinese users with a price of 1,699 yuan ($246).

The launch marks the first new smartphone carrying the handset name since 2014 when Nokia Oyj chose to sell its entire handset unit to Microsoft.

"The decision by HMD to launch its first Android smartphone into China is a reflection of the desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world... it is a strategically important market," HMD said in a statement.

Unlike the markets in Europe and North America, the Chinese market is one that is still going through its growth phase. Re-establishing 'brand Nokia' is going to be easier here than it would be in the saturated citadels where Nokia once ruled. It also keeps supply lines relatively short from the production facilities.

HMD says that it takes 55 minutes to machine a single Nokia 6 from a solid block of 6000 series aluminium. It then receives two separate anodising processes, taking over ten hours to complete, with each phone being polished no less than five times. The end result is an aluminium unibody "with the highest level of visual and structural quality," according to HMD.

The Android device features a hybrid in-cell 5.5" screen with full HD resolution wrapped in 2.5D Gorilla Glass. The display stack is laminated together with a polarizer layer enabling sunlight readability and slim form. The build is completed with the latest generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor with X6 LTE modem designed for long battery life and graphics performance.

The Nokia 6 has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage with which to run the latest version of Android Nougat and is packed with entertainment to bring to life the latest that Android has to offer. The dual amplifiers deliver a 6dB louder sound than a regular amp, giving deeper bass and clarity, while Dolby Atmos creates moving audio that seems to flow all around users. The Nokia 6 packs a 16MP phase detection auto focus rear camera and an 8MP front camera.

Nokia 6 will debut exclusively through JD.com in early 2017 in China.

HMD also launched some new Nokia basic phones last month. It said on Sunday it was looking to launch more new products in the first half of the year.